Category Archives: Features

Its 2018. Various countries are celebrating pay equality, women empowerment movements are everywhere but yet, the video games industry has yet to catch up. While we are here, be it in the media or development-side, there aren’t nearly enough of us. Despite what you hear, the video games industry is still very much a man’s world.

I’ve been thinking about God of War a lot lately. Over the course of this piece, I wanted to discuss the memories I had from the very beginning of the God of War video game series, while briefly touching on the history of their releases, the change of directors and the profitable growth of the little-known studio that could, ‘Santa Monica Studios’. From being a fairly unknown small development studio to a juggernaut of the PlayStation empire. I bring you my version of the history of God of War. Continue reading The Art of War: A Brief, Personal History of Santa Monica Studios and God of War→

Every time I tell people my favourite video game of all time is The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS, I get a very similar reaction. Laughter, a pat on the back, and then, “Wait, you’re serious?” Yes, yes I am. Very serious, in fact. So serious that my PSN ID, which I have for life, is named after a relatively obscure character from the handheld game series. Continue reading My Favourite Game is The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS, Ask Me Anything→

Like quite a number of people, I was excited yet a little skeptical when Sony announced a new installment to the venerable God of War series. Was Santa Monica Studios going to roll out the same game but in a different skin? I got to be among the first in the world to find out, getting some personal hands-on time with Santa Monica Studios’ God of War and the amount of excitement I feel is right now is hard to explain. Although I only got to play the first three hours of this installment (for now), it’s given me plenty to talk about. Continue reading Games Preview: The New God of War is Everything We’ve Been Asking For→

WWE SuperCard took me largely by surprise. It’s easy to be cynical about mobile titles, particularly with their consistent reliance on microtransactions and invasive advertising, but WWE SuperCard largely avoids those common pitfalls with robust gameplay and a multitude of fun modes to keep you occupied. Continue reading Come On and Slam with Brand New WWE SuperCard Event Packs→

Independent game developers in Australia, particularly those at the beginning of their careers, find themselves stuck for ways to connect and network. In a games industry as small and tight-knit as Australia’s, connections are the best step a person can take toward landing a job in the local dev scene.

Networking events are a semi-regular occurrence in Melbourne, the city where much of the nation’s game dev industry is concentrated. The thing about these events is that you don’t know the people involved, you might not find out when or where they’re happening at all. The aim of AIT’s Games Mastermind event was to help game dev graduates and industry newcomers make important connections as they begin the often arduous process of finding relevant work. Continue reading AIT Melbourne’s inaugural Games Mastermind event a great start for grads→

In its first three weeks of competition, the Overwatch League, Blizzard’s ambitious tilt at an organised esports league, has been dominated by a triumvirate of Korean supersquads. All three have confidently held gold, silver and bronze on the ladder since the competition began. Many, ourselves included, wondered what, if anything, Blizzard could do to ensure a season that hadn’t been conclusively decided the moment it began. Training and team ingenuity, it seemed, was only going to take the Overwatch League so far.

As has become tradition at Sony’s gaming conferences, CEO Shawn Layden presented 2017’s PlayStation Experience in a novelty shirt. While the design was kept hidden until the final moments of the presentation, the reveal brought with it a spectacular surprise – the return of Sir Daniel Fortesque, and the ‘re-resurrection’ of the beloved MediEvil franchise. For those who grew up with the title, this writer included, it was a gratifying announcement. Continue reading 10 Things We’re Excited to See in the MediEvil Remaster (And 1 Thing We’re Not)→